Banish Your Bacne

Published Nov 15, 2011

Hemlines aren't the only thing that drop in the winter. With miniskirts on hold, plunging, backless gowns can be an alluring alternative (hey, it makes sense—you can cover the opening under a heavy coat when stepping outside). But bringing sexy back can be impossible if you have breakouts. Bacne (back acne) and other body blemishes can become a big problem, especially during the change in season. Fluctuations in temperature and climate can cause your skin to become unbalanced, which results in breakouts all over. Beautylish chatted with top skin care expert Sonya Dakar about the best ways to zap these annoying zits.

"Your back can break out for a few different reasons," says Sonya, who counts Sofia Vergara, Bar Rafaeli, and Gwyneth Paltrow as her facial clients. "Cystic acne can be hormonal, while other breakouts can be caused from sweat (especially under all of those winter layers!) or allergies from food or medication." So what should you do? "Use regular exfoliating treatments with benzoyl peroxide," suggests Sonya. "For sweat-induced acne, take a shower (if you can) immediately after sweating occurs and rub the area with a salt scrub, which kills the bacteria.” Or for a more soothing solution, “if you have an allergy to a food or medication, take a bath with corn starch, which will dry everything out," says Sonya. It is also important to apply serums to your back that include zinc, colloidal silver, or sulfur. "These ingredients have probiotics that will help eliminate acne-causing bacterias." Another option? Fight dirt and oil buildup daily with a wash containing salicylic acid. This will give your body a deep clean, ridding away impurities from below the surface.

Sonya Dakar has been treating skin since 1971. She is the founder of the Sonya Dakar Skin Clinic located in Beverly Hills and a celebrated,

world-renowned skin care expert. She has many celebrity clients including Gwyneth Paltrow, Sofia Vergara, and Bar Rafaeli, and has won numerous awards. She has also regularly graced the pages of Allure, Vogue, Us Weekly, People, and appeared on E! and Entertainment Weekly.